Meet a Scientist Monday #5: Andy LiWang

Welcome to another edition of Meet a Scientist Monday! Today’s guest is one of my favorite scientists, Andy LiWang, an Associate Professor at the University of California, Merced. Andy was my mentor and PI when I was in graduate school at Texas A&M University. His intensity and enthusiasm for science is contagious. My two favorite sayings from Andy are: ” You only have two friends in science: Positive and Negative controls.” and “The data don’t lie!”

Dr. Andy LiWang

MSM is a work in progress. The questions are from readers like you and if you would like to see yours added to my list, please add it to the comment area at the bottom. Also, if you are a scientist/engineer, I would love to have you participate in MSM! Send me an e-mail at : proteinwrangler@gmail.com

I study the timing mechanism of a biological circadian oscillator. How the ~24 h biochemical rhythm is generated by a circadian clock fascinates me, as it must be based on a richly complex mechanism. The rhythm can be described as a succession of phases, each one inducing the next phase. I want to understand the mechanism of each phase, as well as the mechanisms of the transitions between phases.

How long have you been doing research in this area?

I started studying circadian oscillators in 2000.

Where are you originally from?

Berkeley (1967-78) and Woodland (1978-83), CA

What’s your educational background?

1987 B.A. UC Berkeley

1992 Ph.D. University of Washington

1993-1996 Postdoc NIH

What do you like best about your job?

The excitement of discovery and instilling that excitement in the next generation of scientists.

The least?

The expensive nature of research and the quest to fund it.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a scientist?

I think I would like to be an engineer developing nanotechnology to develop new ways to study protein structure, dynamics, and interactions at either the ensemble or single-molecule levels.

Are your parents scientists? What did/do they do?

Father: Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at U.C., Berkeley

Mother: Optometrist in the Central Valley of CA.

As a child, did you know you wanted to be a scientist?

Yes. Starting as a young child and through my undergraduate years, I spent hours watching my father working. When my mother was studying for her exams at UCB, my sister and I stayed in my uncle’s EECS lab at UCB, where he was conducting experiments as a graduate student. I also remember my mother doing an experiment in grad school that required a lot of liquid nitrogen. So, I have a positive emotional association with academic labs that is strong even today.

Do you have any advice for keeping kids interested in science?

As my own experience shows, it is important to instill kids with a positive emotional association with doing science.

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in science?

My father, uncle, and mother.

What are your hobbies?

Hiking, camping, and white water rafting with my friends, students, and family in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Is there any kind of science you don’t like?

I like all science that rigorously applies the scientific method.

Where do you go or what do you do for inspiration?

I find inspiration from talking to my group members about their projects. Our conversations start gaining momentum, generating new ideas and insights, which often gets everyone very excited about our projects. I also find inspiration from talking to my father about science, or by recalling our past conversations.

Who is your favorite scientist? Why?

My father. In long car rides he would tell me about the formation of the sun, planets, and earth, and how their orbits were first discovered. He would show me rocks and explain the formation of their striations and patterns, and the formation of many domes in Yosemite.